As the current presidential administration digs itself into a deeper and deeper hole, the more heavy music seems to fill the emotional void. Some of the songs on this list are a reaction to the Reagan administration 30 years ago. Either that or a general reaction to unregulated capitalism. The political mood of the 80’s has returned. We have another president who comes from the entertainment world who’s astonishingly conservative. The mood of hypocrisy has returned. The dark underbelly of capitalism has cast itself over the land once more. These politicians say one thing and do another. They run under the rhetoric of less regulation and then try to control women’s bodies. It doesn’t make any sense. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s ten more songs to fill the impending angry hole that’s inevitably going to fill us in the coming years.
Judas Priest – The Sentinal
From the Defenders of the Faith album. This song has only become more and more relevant. Sort of a part two to their hit ‘Electric Eye’, the song deals with the theme of government watching and controlling it’s citizens from above. And look at what’s fucking happening. Drones take to the sky like flies to a turd. They’re everywhere!! And while in reality we’re probably not being watched all the time. We might be getting checked on occasionally with the ease of drones. It just feels so invasive.
Black Sabbath – Letters from Earth
Perfect fucking Dio era Black Sabbath! This song is about Dio reflection on the destructive nature of people. He writes ‘It’s a cold world, I’m caught in the middle’. The lyrics, as with most Sabbath songs, paints the worst of humanity. Which is basically what most of the current administration is. A bunch of bastards.
The Cult – War (The Process)
A fantastic observational piece. The Cult always have a knack for keeping it real. The band doesn’t really take a political stance in their lyrics on the song. What they do is merely reflect what they see in the world: fear, anger, lies and the radial points of view to back them up. From all parts of the world. At times this process seems to be a part of our destiny.
Def Leppard – Gods of War
A song written in direct reaction to the Cold War and the cultural reaction. In fact, the song may equate to ‘God damn hippie bastards!’ to conservatives. Which is interesting because a hard rock band from the 80’s is bound to have a few neo-con fans. For a rare second Def Leppard let their political views fly and they’re quite liberal. When 1987 rolled around the Cold War had been going on for decades with little to no change. This and other social issues fueled the artistic world. Now, it’s back to that fuel. What’s fascinating is the amount of misinterpretation on the video below in the comments. A lot of people (some very clearly Trump supporters) are just taking the Reagan blurbs in the middle and at the end of the song literally. What they don’t get is that ‘Gods of War’ is a protest song. Def Leppard are not painting Reagan and Thatcher in a good light. The clips are used in a sarcastic, satiric tone. But then again, Trump and his supporters are delusional and create their own reality.
Queensryche – Promised Land
Fucking brilliant cultural reflection. ‘Promised Land’is a harsh, mocking,in depth look at a world filled with income inequality. A world that’s run by Wall Street. The album, sharing the same title, is a concept record that exposes the dark underbelly of laissez-faire capitalism. Exploring a world that run by douche-bags like Trump. The scene is best painted by an audible party happening during the songs instrumental jam. On the tour, the band would invite contest winners on stage, which had a real time bar on it. During the song ‘Promised Land’ the contestants were featured. A brilliant fucking idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyiHe2P5irA
King’s X – Pretend
Sometimes it’s better to pretend that nothing wrong is happening.
Ozzy Osbourne – Secret Loser
Trump’s theme song! The man who appears to have it all. But the reality is that he lives in self loathing 24/7. Just a fraud.
Prong – Revenge…Best Served Cold
I fucking love this song when I get pissed at the current administration. So the song gets blasted regularly. As in all the fucking time. ‘I like my revenge…best served cold. For a lack of respect and a lack of a soul’. Is there anything more fitting?
Rage Against The Machine – Bullet in the Head
This song was the first to come to mind when I saw ICE officers rip a father away from his daughter after picker her up from school in Los Angeles. This song is mostly about police brutality, something that Los Angeles is all to familiar with. The craziest part is that the officers were wearing ‘Police’ jackets. This alone has re-sparked fear across the board for minorities. Everyday you see fear on their faces.
Tesla – Freedom Slaves
We keep sending these young men over seas under the guise that war is exciting and cool. I remember when an army recruitment team came to my high school in Kansas. They put on this presentation that made war seem almost trendy and cool. That being in the armed forces is somehow this fun thing instead of what it really is, self defense for love of country. Self defense is not fucking cool! It’s necessary, but not cool. And certainly not fucking fun. When you join you fight for freedom. But then you get screwed. You come home and are essentially forgotten about. You’ve been a slave. A freedom slave. Brilliant protest song!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asgnGtT_j8c
